Talking About Nature | Essex Climate Commission

Talking about Nature - the chance to make a difference!

What’s happening?

Essex County Council has teamed up with Stisted and Tiptree parish councils and Wivenhoe Town Council to pilot an exciting project to improve nature in the local areas. Working with Involve, a leading public participation charity, the councils offered the opportunity for residents to get involved and have a direct say on nature plans in their local environment.

The local councils are using recommendations from these workshops to help create a Local Nature Plan which will determine how the natural environment in each area is looked after in the future.

These three areas have been chosen to pilot a project that will aim for every parish council in the Climate Focus Area to have its own Local Nature Plan, ensuring nature is well maintained and managed with local residents having a direct say.

Why is this important?

We all rely on nature such as forests, rivers, land and sea to give us food, water and support our health and wellbeing. Nature also supports a wide economy, places for sports, our gardens and places to visit.

Nature is most important to the community that surrounds it, so it is vital that the community has a say in how it is looked after!

Where and when did these events happen?

William Loveless Hall, Wivenhoe 13th May, 2023
Stisted Village Hall 14th May, 2023
Tiptree Community Centre 20th May 2023

What happened at the workshops?

Participants met with other residents living in the local area to hear from expert speakers and participate in facilitated group discussions. Group facilitators ensured that everybody's voice was heard.

There was no need to have prior knowledge of the topics or issues discussed, as all relevant information was be provided on the day of the workshop.

What happened after the workshops?

The discussions at the workshop helped the local town or parish council develop a deeper understanding of issues and barriers facing residents and helped identify opportunities for the future.

A full report of the process, along with recommendations of what the priorities might need to be, is being produced and will be presented to members of the local council town or parish council.

A summary of the report will be shared with those workshop participants. The report will not contain any personal details but may include quotations and photography of those who gave consent on the day.